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enSat, 10 Dec 2016 04:52:48 GMTvBulletin60http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.com/images/ct/misc/rss.jpgIndia Against Corruptionhttp://www.indiaagainstcorruption.com
Black money and the black sheephttp://www.indiaagainstcorruption.com/f38/black-money-black-sheep-14977/
Thu, 24 Nov 2016 22:43:57 GMTBy Prem Chandran
Here now was a major national crisis -- of the financial system going haywire essentially and mostly in terms of money...By Prem Chandran

Here now was a major national crisis -- of the financial system going haywire essentially and mostly in terms of money circulation hurdles caused by the sudden demonitisation of high-value currency notes. Here was a time when the Prime Minister thought secrecy was of essence to the success of the big step forward. A single SMS from one mobile phone to another or a whatsapp click would have had the whole world getting wind of it in a matter of a few seconds. Such are the times we are in, in the age of the Internet. That did not happen, and grant the PM the credit for this. The secrecy helped, and as a result, a whole lot of problems arose too. Naturally, it was time to have patience, tons of it, if only to facilitate the success of an eminent national endeavour. But, it is educative to take a look at how India’s political class, some in the media, and even the banking sector have responded to the exceptionally huge endeavour and sensitive situation.

In the minimum, one expected of banks to extend their working hours to the maximum extent. A national crisis of such a high proportion demanded of a more open approach by banks in particular. But, the banking staff mostly strolled in at the normal working hour, in most (if not all) cities, by when there already were huge queues forming. In city after city, and elsewhere too, people started forming in queues from eight in the morning and they were allowed in after 10am. That there was a shortage of currency formed only one big part of the financial sector crisis. People needed banks for more of transactions, and it would not suffice to say there were no instructions to the staff to go the whole hog out. Inertia is part of Indians’ general character. The tendency is to take things easy. But, these are times when one should rather be prepared to voluntarily go the whole hog out. To an extent, the banking staff did an exceptionally good job; but they could have done much more.

Now, coming to the crux of the issue, there is general consensus on two aspects in relation to the demonetisation step announced out of the blue by Prime Minister Modi on November 8. One, that it would to an extent help control the black money menace as also check terror funding; and two, that there was not enough of planning that went into a governmental measure of such mammoth impact on the nation; the emphasis on secrecy having led to this situation. There are those who keep a blind eye on both these aspects, and they are mainly some of the opposition parties, not all of them of course, and it is not difficult to see how they could not have responded in a different manner.

Fight against black money is also a fight against corruption of the systems as much as a fight against corrupt individuals. These men ruled the roost till the ther day. Now, there is a sense of fear, that Modi would catch them sooner or later. This here is one major step, but by no means the only step. PM has already said the next move is on benami property. We, the ordinary people in general, and anti-corruption activists in particular, are enthused at this turn of events. Talk to the people in the street, you know. Opinion surveys one after another have made this very clear. Herein lies the rub. If this is a popular measure, who benefits out of this, and who loses the game? If Modi scores a few points, it could not but be at the cost of his rivals, namely the political parties and leaders, India's most corrupt creed, who are now pitted against him. The set of assembly and Lok Sabha by-elections in several states this week amply demonstrated, if further proof is needed, as to how the people in general looked at the demonetisation drive, even as this measure has cost them a lot of trouble in their daily lives. Yet, they are willing to patiently stand in the queues and would not revolt. Here is a social cause involved, and there is enough of nationalistic spirit involved in each of us to bear with a difficult situation for a while, of course. This is the strength of this nation today, and a strong signal to Prime Minister Modi that he could feel free to herald wholesale reforms in every walk of life, step by step. Modi, we trust, has his ear to the ground.

At the same time, look at the list of those who have shown a proclivity to fish in troubled waters or to play villain. Topping that list, as is by now clear to all, is West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee, but she is by no means the most mischievous of the lot. She has her limits, which limits itself mostly to West Bengal and does not stretch beyond its borders, and this is so even in Bengali-dominated Tripura, as the latest poll results too have proven. Look rather at the scenario when attempts were made from unexpected quarters to pull the rug from under the Prime Minister’s feet at a time when he is seen to be hectoring a cause very dear to the nation’s heart – of taking on the corrupt and the anti-national elements; stopping them in their tracks. A largely circulated southern newspaper likely played into the hands of some politicians in Delhi, to come up with a “major expose” – which is that, in 2011 and thereafter (corrected), some papers seized in an enforcement/CBI raid had a mention that then Gujarat chief minister had been paid a few crores by two business entities in the country. The report, that the newspaper smartly flashed first on its online edition to build up the mood, and then brought on to its front page, referred to a demand made by Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan before a governmental agency, seeking a probe into the matter.

The release of this report by the newspaper was followed up swiftly by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal targeting the Prime Minister. All right, if Modi had taken money from business houses beyond what is normal for a political leader in times of elections and the like, by way of a contribution to the party, then let him face the axe. We are not here to defend even a Modi or a Kejriwal, two leaders who have a fair name otherwise. But, question is, why coming up with an expose at this crucial juncture, five years after 2011, if it is not your way of putting a spoke into the demonetisation wheel, playing the villain, and scuttling a major national offensive against corruption that had just begun?

Prashat Bhushan had at one time been an activist of the anti-corruption movement in this country, and he's one who fights a whole lot of public interest litigations. But, it is also worth the while to ponder as to why he is still not in the reckoning. There were allegations coming up against him of wrongdoings even when he was with the anti-corruption movement, but it is not for us to dig the dirt up again at this specific time. Suffice it to say, the ordinary citizens of this country are intelligent too; and when it comes to awareness as to what’s happening, the whole lot of news channels are reaching information by the minute to every home, leave alone the sway of internet and the like that still have a limited, urban reach.

If there’s no tantrum, there is no Mamata Banerjee. She has her styles, and in the minimum, Bengalis are comfortable with these styles, and she’s winning elections repeatedly there. She has every right as a senior politician to be more ambitious, or to enter the ring and stake her claim for the Prime Minister’s post the next time around. If she finally manages to have the numbers in Parliament, in 2019, why not? But, why would she choose this precise moment, this critical time, to keep running to Delhi to wage a fight, as if she represents the entire nation, and in the process expose to the world what is in her mind? Her present brief from the electorate limits itself to West Bengal. She has no business scouting around the national capital. Should national interests come first or the interests of a wily politician like her?

Word that goes around is that she is not only out to upstage PM Modi, but also Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, so as to occupy centre-stage in the national capital and by extension in national politics. The Congress party is down, but not out. It is still the most vibrant political outfit other than the BJP in this country. Its support base was built over a century’s painstaking efforts. The party failed on various fronts in recent years, notably in controlling corruption and checking against the weakening of the systems. It paid a price for it, a la the 2016 general elections. Rahul Gandhi is the second strongest leader in the party, and he has his own ways of doing things. He might not be aggressive to the extent that one expects of him as a principal opposition leader, but he has a dignified approach to things. That earns him respect. He has charisma, and he has national appeal, something that he has largely inherited and partly built for himself by his nice ways. Mamata Banerjee is the anti-thesis of a Rahul Gandhi; and who cares for her outside of Bengal is a funny thought. Narendra Modi’s super luck would be to get her as his principal challenger for year 2019. Having taken note of the drama in Delhi in recent days, he might already have had a hearty laugh at such a thought!

Vultures feed on the dead; and some of India’s politicians are worse than vultures. They behave as if they couldn’t care less if the nation goes to dogs. Evident from the fact that some of them saw the demonetisation as a Tuglaquian measure! The good thing is, they are getting exposed to their bones, by their selfish actions. India needs to have a new, dignified set of political leaders, not bluff-masters but those who carry with them the courage of their convictions. It should, we hope, be the endeavour of both PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi to change not just the political idiom on both sides of the political spectrum, but also the jaded sets of politicians as well. There is need for infusion of young blood, the youths who think differently and in more meaningful ways. People are tired of these existing deadwood, self-seekers, not just in public life but in the nation’s august representative bodies too. Why name one in specific, after all? premcee@gmail.comwww.indiahereandnow.com
]]>Premchandranhttp://www.indiaagainstcorruption.com/f38/black-money-black-sheep-14977/Satisfactory packing by Agarwal packers and movershttp://www.indiaagainstcorruption.com/f41/satisfactory-packing-agarwal-packers-movers-14976/
Mon, 14 Nov 2016 05:47:18 GMTAgarwal packers and movers is one of the most efficient companies I have ever heard of, every step of relocation followed by them is done in the best...Agarwal packers and movers is one of the most efficient companies I have ever heard of, every step of relocation followed by them is done in the best possible way. The entire move was very nice, the only issue I found was the crockery packing stuff; according to me crockery should be first wrapped in bubble packing and then should be put in perfect boxes which have foam embedded inside the box and hard box outside.
]]>Consumer Complaints Forumdhruvmittal1982http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.com/f41/satisfactory-packing-agarwal-packers-movers-14976/The creeps and the killing of noteshttp://www.indiaagainstcorruption.com/f38/creeps-killing-notes-14975/
Sun, 13 Nov 2016 11:20:42 GMTBy Prem Chandran

THE CREEPS and bandicoots that infest India’s politics and bureaucracy, who sit plum on ill-gotten money, had the shock of their lives when Prime Minister Modi addressed the nation on November 8 and announced the demonetisation high-value currencies. The midnight strike on stash was to begin four hours hence, when all the high-denomination currency notes, “would be turned into waste paper” as the PM said. These 500 and 1000 denomination notes could however be exchanged in banks in the coming days – with a rider that those who do this will have to identify themselves, for each of the notes thus carried, by carrying with them their identity cards and filling a form. What was claimed as the central government’s surgical strike on black money had won instant applause from the general public, but the euphoria was short-lived. Things might be a success only to an extent, and the trouble the exercise spawned on the people at large in the days that followed was too much to bear. The blame should essentially be on finance minister Arun Jaitley, while Prime Minister Modi cannot escape the blame either.

In fact, there's an absolute messing up of what should have been a carefully thought-out governmental step. While the PM said there would be some difficulties in the coming days, and be prepared, the people were prepared to be game with it for a couple of days, but had not expected it to be as worse as it turned out to be. The ATM machines, the centre-piece of money transactions in cities across the country – over two lakh of them – went into closure mode, and people struggled their way through for their immediate requirements for cash. What Jaitley has crooned now is it would take two to three weeks to set things right. The adverse impact this will have on national economy is huge. With no liquid cash in people’s hands, sales in shops have plummeted. With ATMs not functional for days, no one has money to do anything. A reason is not enough of new notes were stocked at distribution hubs before the demonetisation step was announced. So, banks too are hit by shortage of currency. Worse, the ATM machines need be reconfigured to accommodate the new notes that were of a different size.

The question arises as to why Jaitley, who was a party to the highly confidential decision, had not taken measures to avoid such hassles? The secrecy factor, wherein lies the success of the scheme to a large extent, is understandable. But, that secrecy is all about the demonetisation. Not about introduction of new notes, like the Rs 2000 one. What prevented Jaitley to have the ATM machines reconfigured in advance, at least some of them in every locality, so as to keep new notes and hundred rupee notes, once the new bundles were ready for distribution? It would require of him to know the ground situation. But, how would politicians like him understand the ground scenario when they live in glass houses? When they appear before the public, they appear on public platform to pontificate to the people. They do not have a finger on the pulse of the people, other than when they sweat it out in the streets to seek votes and win an election. As it turned out, chaos spread across the country in the aftermath of the demonetisation exercise, and even some deaths have occurred due to the mass hysteria and erratic crowd behaviour before the banks.

This aside, it is curious to see how large sections of India’s political class reacted to the demonetisation step, while the equally hurt bureaucracy with bundles of ill-gotten wealth hidden in their individual cash chests could only shiver and were not in a position to openly show their anger and exhaustion over what had happened to them overnight. The political class, the breed that made a cut out of every governmental deal, and a cut from even what pimps and prostitutes make across the cities as well, is provoked no end. To start with, many of them did not know how to shower abuses on the government for dumping gravel into their porridge. But the chaos that followed in the subsequent days gave them the energy to wake up, and make a hue and cry. “Why all these? The common man is hurt and struggling, what a mess,” these uncouth pretenders screamed over the microphones of TV channels. They are not seeing the good that’s coming about and around.

Strangely, however, support for the governmental measure came from one of the most unexpected quarters – Nitish Kumar, chief minister of Bihar, who generally uses every situation to spite Narendra Modi. Nitish supported the demonetisation, saying it was a good step. The reason, however, is not far to seek. He is among the few supposedly clean politicians of our times and there could be no bundles or gunny bags of currency notes stashed in family cupboards. He looked at the governmental step positively. But, one who is vehement against the demonetisation is West Bengal’s popular chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who went to the extent of saying she would now take the support of the CPI(M), her main political rival, to fight this governmental step. True, the role of those close to her – if not herself – in the Saradha chit fund scam and the Narada tape expose, is still fresh in our memory. However, there’s more to it. It is safe to assume that the crafty Bengal leader has something up her sleeves. Which is that, she is setting her eyes on 2019, the next parliamentary polls, for which India’s regional satraps are just about getting set, aiming to win power, with or without Congress support.

Now, this is time for Banerjee to take her first step forward, rather than leaving the opportunity exclusively to the wayward Bihari and UP politicos. The PM coat that she had stitched with fine Bengal cotton, with a blue ribbon tied around it, is still kept in good shape in her family wardrobe. Its time should come. And, this here is the time to make a fresh try. Last time, in 2014, there was a more formidable woman contender, with whom the leader from Kolkata had opened a hotline to push the cause for prime-ministership. “Either you or me, not the monkey( Modi).” Jayalalithaa is now down, hospitalised, her chances of staking the claim for the PM post in 2019 dimming. Who else is there, other than the likes of the UP and Bihar clowns, who are not a class, anyway? And, the Brahiminical aspirations to re-grab power at the Centre are there on the one side, which needs to be harvested, while the Nehru family that held the baton so far is now in the most unenviable situation. Here now is the time. It’s time to sell the idea of Bengali Bhadralog unity. The toothless CPI(M) is no more a threat to her. So, why not court them as sidekicks? Sitaram Yechury would only be enthused.

The demonetisation may not have a big impact on black money. But, even a little impact is worth the effort taken. The corrupt in India are a craftier lot, many of them eating the dirty pie through generations, and picking the tricks of the trade from their fathers and forefathers. Fixing them is no easy job. They are more intelligent than those who are out to stop them in their tracks.

It must be stressed that the Modi government has not been able to do the job properly. It has not been able to maintain the secrecy of the operation, which was vital. A journal in Gujarat came out with a report months ago, predicting exactly what the government has done now, including the introduction of two thousand rupee notes. And, Andhra Pradesh’s funny chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, who has a passion to take credit (“I did it in Hyderabad”) for all what goes right around him, had sensed what was coming, and issued an appeal to the Centre three weeks ago, urging the PM to demonetise the 500 and 1000 rupee notes! No one knows how he got wind of this; but true to his character, he sought to turn it into his advantage, to tom-tom it as his baby, much to the disadvantage of the nation! That would have helped many of his sidekicks in politics and businessmen in AP and beyond to escape the demonetisation dragnet. Some service! A top BJP politician in Punjab has put the images of the new currency notes on his social media site, many days in advance, to publicize it to the world. Suffice it to say that such are the creeps that infest Indian politics as its leaders today! premcee@gmail.comwww.indiahereandnow.com
]]>Premchandranhttp://www.indiaagainstcorruption.com/f38/creeps-killing-notes-14975/